


Fool's Gold

by fwoggychair



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Cute, F/M, Fluff, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, I Don't Even Know, I Ship It, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Tagging
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:21:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28259880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fwoggychair/pseuds/fwoggychair
Summary: There's more to him than just face value.
Relationships: Oikawa Tooru/Reader
Kudos: 40





	Fool's Gold

Oikawa Tooru never thought he'd be one for relationships in highschool. Sure he has the occasional fling, but they never truly go anywhere. There's never that spark, or connection. And they always expect him to pick them over volleyball. 

Of course, things never seem to go as planned regarding him. 

When she first joined the volleyball club, he didn't think much of her. Sure, she was cute. Really cute. But he didn't need a distraction. He was already falling behind as it were. He didn't need something else keeping him off the court. His injury did that often enough.

He didn't even notice it at first. The subtle glances and the lingering touches they shared. How he would smile whenever she entered the gym, and would wait to walk her home after practice some nights. That he found himself seeking her out, wanting to talk to her, get to know her. That her smile lights up the room, and that her eyes sparkle with emotion, bright, big, and beautiful. 

But really, he can't help himself. There's just something about her. Something special that sets his heart aflutter and makes his cheeks flush. She doesn't treat him as some sort of god. She never puts him on a pedestal, or the weight of her expectations on his shoulders. She treats him as the person he is. 

A boy, with a passion for volleyball.

She has a way of easing the weight. Making it easier for him to breathe with the expectations that weigh on his chest like stone. She eases his fears of not being good enough. Of never being good enough. That this is pointless, all for not. That no matter how hard he pushes, or what he does, compared to natural talent, he's fool's gold in the presence of diamonds.

Iwaizumi calls him a fool. And Tooru can't deny that. He is a fool. The jester in the king's court.

It's a slow descent into the warm embrace of adoration. It starts off rather simple: The brush of their fingertips when she hands him a water bottle. And the smile she gives him. She's small, at least compared to him. But from where he sits on the floor, she towers over him. 

His eyes roam over the features of her face. The warmth behind her eyes, and the rosy flush of her cheeks. How her fringe falls into her face even after she puts the rest of it up. It was the ghost of a touch, so brief, for only just a moment. And yet, it sent electricity through his veins, sending a shiver down his spine as goosebumps pricked his skin.

He didn't realize he was staring. Staring at her. Drawn to her light like moths to a flame. Even if he didn't know it yet. The clap of Iwaizumi's hand against the back of his head had snapped him out of his strange daze. She had giggled, hiding her mouth behind her hand. Her laugh is quite possibly some of the most beautiful music Tooru's ever heard.

Then, he walked her home after practice. She had insisted it wasn't necessary, but who was he to let a cute girl walk home at night by herself. It had been a bit chilly that night, the signs of the beginning of fall nip at his skin through the fabric of his team jacket. He wasn't blind to the way she occasionally shivered, rubbing the skin of her arms as she pursed her lips. The rustling of fabric and the chill of the wind. 

He could always get his jacket back from her at practice the next day.

The others tease him over it; his developing feelings for their manager. He takes it in stride. Tooru is many things, but he's not a liar. Makki insists that  _ “the tomcat's being tamed.” _ Tooru's never seen himself that way. Sure, he'd flirt. With fangirls that devoted, it only seemed natural. Perhaps it’s selfish of him, but is it truly? He's still human after all, still a boy. Everyone seeks validation. Tooru just has a certain way of seeking it out.

Tooru doesn't do anything about these developing feelings. He pushes them to the back of his mind. He doesn't have the time to indulge, to be selfish. And then...they  _ lose  _ to Karasuno. Everything he's worked so hard for slips through his fingers like sand.

Everything is just ripped from his grasp, barely out of reach. Not good enough. Never good enough. Everything he's worked towards, everything he's put himself through, all for nothing in the end. Nothing except the bitter taste of loss.

Despite all this, when they start packing to leave, she smiles at him. He can see her disappointment in her eyes, evident by the unshed tears that have welled up within them. But she smiles at him. And tells him that she's proud of him. That he's done amazing work, and led an amazing team. That he did do enough.

After that, the slow descent became more like a plummet off a cliffside. He falls. And he falls hard, and he falls fast.

It's like seeing color for the first time in his life. As if lifting the veil. She makes everything brighter, more vibrant, and all-around more beautiful. He wonders how long he's been missing out on such things, but decides not to dwell on it too much. He thinks if he did, he'd be missing the point. 

He surrenders himself to her pull, her flame. Lets himself be drawn to her, despite how foolish he may look. He finds himself standing outside her classroom after school, waiting for  _ her _ . How he figured out her schedule is lost on him, but in the moment it doesn’t really matter much anymore. 

“Oikawa?” Her voice snaps him out of his thoughts. He turns in her direction, pushing himself up off the wall, “What are you doing here?” He shrugs, his lips curling upward in the beginning of a grin.

“I just thought that...as captain, it’s my responsibility to make sure our cute manager-chan gets to practice safe and sound.” Not technically a lie. But if anything, he just wanted to be around her a bit more. They were both third years after all. After this, who knows if he’d see her again. She huffs with a laugh, shaking her head. 

“That’s not necessary...but if you insist.” 

“Oh, I do.” She smiles at him. The skin around her eyes crinkles every so slightly with the upturn of her lips. 

“Lead the way then,  _ Captain. _ ”

Friendships have always come easily to Tooru. He’s been a people person since he was a young boy. But with her, it’s different. She makes it easy. She’s easy to talk to. To  _ want _ to talk to. She makes him laugh, as he does her. They make each other smile, enjoying each other’s company while they can. Time is fleeting after all. 

But as the weeks pass, and they get closer, being just  _ friends _ gets harder and harder. As they walk throughout the halls of Aoba Johsai, his hand twitches at his side. He’s always had steady hands, but around her, they twitch and they fumble. He longs to hold her hand in his own. To feel the smooth, soft surface of her skin against his. Her hands seem so small compared to his. 

“Iwa-chan, how do I ask her out?” He finds himself turning to his best friend for advice. It shouldn’t be as hard as it is. It’s not like he’s never had a girlfriend before. Iwaizumi rolls his eyes, scoffing at him.

“Hell if I know.” He shrugs, changing into his uniform, “Just ask?” 

“I can’t just  _ ask _ .” He huffs, crossing his arms over his chest, his bottom lip juts out in a pout, “This is her we’re talking about...it has to be special.” 

“Can you really make it special?” He turns to face him, leaning back against the lockers, his lips curled down into a frown. “Girls ask you out every other week.” 

That’s true. But that isn’t his fault really. If he’s being honest, he doesn’t really know what they see in him. Sure...he’s attractive. But that’s all they really know about him, isn’t it? They aren’t like her. She knows him. Really  _ knows  _ him. And she  _ likes _ him. She’s said so herself. She enjoys his company, that they walk together to practice and that he walks her home. It’s only gotten colder now. She’s permanently taken ownership of his varsity jacket. He doesn’t mind. It looks better on her anyway. 

In the end, he never ended up making a move. He didn’t have to.

It was oddly silent as the two of them walked into the gym, a couple days before Winter break. She’s still wearing his varsity jacket. He relishes in the way the sleeves cover her hands. He opens the door for her, letting her lead the way. She pauses, and he almost runs straight into her. He places his hands on her shoulders, stabilizing himself before he can send them tumbling to the ground. The collaborative snickers of his teammates ring in his ears. He narrows his eyes at his fellow third years from across the gym. 

“What?” They don’t respond. Matsukawa points up and Tooru frowns, pursuing his lips. He tilts his head up toward the ceiling. Heat floods his face, and his stomach clenches. 

“Ooo- Looks like the lovebirds got caught under the mistletoe.” Tooru bristles at Makki’s words, furrowing his brow as he scowls. Iwaizumi snorts, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. He sighs, ignoring his friends for the time behind, turning to the girl standing next to him. 

She’s so  _ beautiful.  _

He opens his mouth to say something but the words die in the back of his throat. She presses up on her toes, cupping his face in her hands as she pulls him down to her level. Her lips press against his. They’re soft, smooth and supple. His noise of surprise is muffled against her mouth. The shocked roar of his teammates resonates throughout the gym, bouncing off the walls as it echoes through the hallway. He pays it no mind. He presses forward, kissing her back as his hands cup her cheeks. His thumbs caress her skin. She’s so warm underneath his touch. She pulls away all too soon, and he longs to kiss her again. She gazes up at him, her eyes are bright, bold and inviting. Her lips curl up into a smile.

“Merry Christmas Tooru.” 

_ He may be a fool, but he's a damn lucky one.  _


End file.
